One Piece: The Fantasy Pirates
by LunaticSavage
Summary: White has guarded a a treasure on a mysterious island enveloped in mist and raised by a voice. Now, after 15 years, he leaves and sets off, to learn about his powers, find others like him, and start his crew of mythical creatures, the Fantasy Pirates!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Mother, are you sure?" I asked. The branches and leaves of the surrounding trees rustled, and the wind blew, forming the soothing voice of a lady.

"Yes. You have been the White Guardian for many years now. The ancient treasure no longer needs guarding. It is time for you to set out in the world, to choose your path for once. Or you can stay here, I don't mind, my little blossom." my mother responded. Mother doesn't have an actual from. She is the life of this hidden island. She is the echoing wind. She is the forest itself. She is Mother. Mother has raised me all the time I've been here, which is my whole life. My purpose is to guard the treasure on this island. I don't know why, but Mother has told me that is why I She created me. She told me it would be dangerous if anyone got near, or even set foot on the shrine. Mother told me only I can touch it without being hurt. I tried it and indeed I do not feel pain. But I don't know if other people feel pain. My duty for all this time was to use my abilities to blow away intruders. When I use my power, the wind comes and blows them through the mist, to a place I do not know. I do not fully understand my power, nor does Mother.

The treasure can't work anymore, so she told me that I could set out my own path. Stepping out of the tall grass where I had lain, letting the sun dry the water from my bath in the spring, one of the branches of the tree slowly drooped down, and my clothes hanging from it. I have worn the same thing all this time. It's a sleeveless white button-up shirt with a turtleneck. The long white pants are connected to the shirt. From where the bottom of the back of the shirt was supposed to be, a long cloth extended, sweeping the ground. It was large enough to wrap around my body, but could shrink to the right size. White waterproof boots which went to my ankles went with the outfit, and waited at the base of the tree. I took my clothes from the branch, which retracted back into place, and I unbuttoned the buttons. It's kind of tricky to put it on at first. I wiggled into the pants, put my arms through the sleeve openings, and closed my shirt. Then I pulled the boots onto my feet. When I had finished that, I walked out of the clearing with the lake which I bathed in, which happened to be surrounded by trees, to a certain apple tree. There was a low, sturdy branch which was perfect for sitting in, which I did. An apple dropped down and I caught it with ease. My teeth sank into the juicy fruit, and I leaned back against the trees trunk.

"What do you want to do, little one?" Mother asked.

"Part of me wants to stay here, with you, but the other part of me wants to go out, out into the wide sea. It wants to learn, to explore, and to travel. It wants to live a life. That part of me is stronger. I can feel the urge." was my reply.

"I understand, little one. You do not have any experience in the outside world, so walk to the rose gardens center. There lies a gift which will help you dearly." Mother advised.

"Okay." I did as told, and walked for five minutes to get to where the roses grew. They were arranged in hedges to form one large circle. I walked up to part of the leafy wall and whispered to it. The hedges pulled apart to let me pass.

"You are getting better with your Whispering." praised Mother, and inside I glowed with pleasure. In the middle of the unkempt grass was Mothers gift. I picked it up and examined it. The gift was a small, beautiful rose, one of all the colors you can think of. It was growing on a wristband made of rose stems. I mean, it was literally growing. I could sense the life in it. The rose had a small glass sphere around it. "With this I can always be with you to give you advice. Now you don't have to miss me. It will also tell you when you are going to die, but don't live on that information." she warned.

"Don't worry, mother, and thank you." I assured and slipped it around my wrist. It fit perfectly. I walked out of the rose garden, and the gap closed behind me. I walked back to the apple tree, where a pack made of vines and leaves waited on my Sitting Branch. I opened it and looked at its contents. There was several apples, a cord of more vines braided into a rope, a blade made of bone, a book made of bark and leaves (Probably made by the fairies which also inhabit this place), a feather for a pen, berry ink in a wooden cup (Again, fairies), along with my water pouch which I usually store inside the apple tree. I closed the pack and slipped my arms through the handles.

"There is a boat waiting for you by the Peak." Mother told me. The Peak was a thin outstretch of land and the only place that was actually almost level with the water. The surface of the rest of the island was too high to safely reach the water. As promised, there was a raft, with a sail as white as my hair. There was even a paddle. I didn't stop to wonder how the raft got there or how it was made. Mother can be very unpredictable. I stepped onto the wood and sat down, my cape thingy tucked under me. The murky water began pushing my raft away from the place I had known for my entire life. Did I regret my decision? Not at all. _Sleep,__my__little__cub.__I__shall__wake__you__when__it__is__time_. Mother said in my head. As told, I lay on my side, one arm hugging my pack to my stomach, the other pulling my cape thingy over my body while I closed my eyes. It took several minutes for sleep to come, as I was not sleeping in the grass as I was used to, but eventually the gently rocking of my raft caused me to slip into the dream world.

My dreams are usually never very normal. This time, though, it was normal enough as I dreamt what places outside of the island is like. I woke up when I heard mother talking in my head. _Wake__up,__my__little__one,_ Mother prompted. I sat up and looked around, rubbing my eyes. All around me, I could see the blue sky. In the distance was something I could not identify. _That__is__your__first__stop.__If__you__are__going__to__start__your__journey,__you__are__going__to__need__a__name__other__than__the__White__Guardian._ She was right; at least, I thought she was right because she has been right as far as I can remember.

"_What__about__White__Blank?_" I thought back. _Are__you__sure__that__you__don__'__t__want__something,__a__bit__more,__say,__well,__different?_ She suggested.

"_Nah,__I__like__it._" I replied mentally. _Before__we__arrive__at__that__island,__you__should__probably__learn__some__things.__One,__this__ocean__is__called__the__East__Blue.__Two,__there__are__things__called__Devil__Fruits__that__grants__their__user__a__special__power,__depending__on__the__fruit,__but__takes__away__their__ability__to__swim.__You__don__'__t__have__one,__but__most__people__will__think__you__have__a__Devil__Fruit__if__you__use__your__power,__so__try__not__to__use__it__or__make__sure__you__don__'__t__have__to__swim__in__water.__You__could__be__put__in__danger__if__anybody__found__out__about__the__truth.__Three,__there__are__many__pirates__here,__so__watch__out.__There__are__also__the__Marines;__they__deal__with__pirates__and__other__things,__although__they__have__done__some__bad__things.__But__if__you__need__protecting__from__a__pirate,__go__to__them__but__do__NOT__show__them__your__power.__I__'__ll__tell__you__more__about__the__Marines__and__other__things__tomorrow.__At__the__island,__which__is__called__Keogh,__you__will__have__to__find__a__job__until__you__decide__what__you__want__to__do._

"_Okay,__Mother,__but__why__didn__'__t__you__tell__me__this__before?_" I asked her.

"_To__keep__you__safe__and__to__prevent__you__from__leaving__before__your__trial__of__servitude__had__finished,_" she explained, "_I__'__m__sorry__for__keeping__this__information__from__you.__"_

"_It__'__s__okay._" I assured. _And__one__more__thing,__there__are__others__like__you,__yet__very__different.__They__do__not__have__the__same__past,__but__they__do__have__a__similar__ability.__Since__you__are__the__White__Guardian,__your__power__will__evolve.__Like__you__always__knew,__I__do__not__even__gully__understand__your__powers,__but__I__know__they__are__associated__with__more__than__the__island.__So__be__careful__who__you__trust,__and__find__these__other__Guardians!_

"_But__can__the__other__Guardians__protect__themselves?_"

_ No, you have the most experience with your powers out of all of them. How they react may be different, but I know at least some of them will panic and be confused, and there are other powers at work here, not all very nice. Those with dark purposes will try to control or even destroy the Guardians. You must assemble a circle of those who believe and trust in you, and will come when you are in need. There is another Guardian on the island, I can sense him. His powers are currently dormant but will awaken very soon._

"_Yes,__Mother._" I replied. By now the island which I could not identify earlier was closer, and I could see trees, plants, and busy-looking people, though they were small from this distance. Along the area were several ships, many sporting a flag with a special symbol. They were all different, though they followed the same guidelines. One was an animal with curly horns head with bones forming an X behind it. Another had a sword and a gun replacing the crossing bones and a skull wearing goggles over it. Compared to the ships I and my raft felt very small. It would still be a time before I actually got to the island, so I took out my pack and pulled out the book, along with the pen and ink, and put in the first entry.

**Day One,**

** So far I had recently left the island which has been my home for so many years. My raft is slowly approaching the island of Keogh. Mother told me that there are other Guardians, with powers similar to mind. These powers of mine are quite mysterious to the point where even she can't full understand them. And she told me I have to find the other Guardians, but even though I have no complaints whatsoever, one question of mine is 'why'? Is it because it is my fate or duty? Or to protect them and the secrets we Guardians are yet to uncover? And who are these people Mother told me of that want to hurt the Guardians? How did we get our powers in the first place? I have so many questions now, but first I should focus on the Guardian on Keogh. I have to find him somehow, and make sure he doesn't get hurt. But how will I do that? I don't even know the full extent of my own powers, and what will this Guardian be like? Wow, this situation is overwhelming me. I didn't expect things to be like this when I left, but the Universe works in mystifying ways.**

**Sincerely,**

**Me**

I looked over my entry, the red ink permanently staining the page. How was I going to do this? Guess I should do one question at a time. But there will be time for that later, as now I have arrived at the island, or at least near it. I took hold of the paddle and steered the raft into the docking area. Using the rope I tied the raft to one of the pegs on the wooden platform and jumped up. I'd best not risk my pack getting stolen so I had also brought my pack, along with the wooden paddle for a weapon. It was an odd choice of weapon and not a very resourceful one, but it would do for now. Since the straps of the packs were made of vines, I slipped the paddle between the intertwining cords so I wouldn't have to use one of my hands to carry it. Next I marched into the town, stalls lining the sides of the paved roads. I had to find a job, as mother told me, but I had no idea what I could do. I walked up to a middle-aged man running a fruit stand.

_Don__'__t__forget__your__manners,__White,_ said Mother, and I was glad that she used the name I made up.

"Excuse me, but would you happen to know where I could get a job?" I asked the man.

"Yeah, ahead you'll find a market. It's one of the most popular places for the surrounding islands as they have all kinds of goods from all over the Grand Line. They're hiring people to do some cleaning around the place. Find a lady called Martha and tell her Frank sent you. What's your name anyway?" he asked.

"Thank you, and my name is White Blank." I answered and set off towards the market. It was pretty obvious which building it was from its appearance and the people milling around inside whom could be seen through the tall windows. For a while I just stood and stared at the intricate details of the place. The building was tall and white, and many carvings were engraved into the stone, covering nearly every inch except for the less impressive sign. The sign was plain brown wood with 'Go Go Super Market!" carved and painted into it.

_Funny__name_, commented Mother. _Yeah_, I thought back. While I was halfway through the doorway, something very strange happened. My arm felt funny and strange, glowing, white curly marks appeared on my left arm and a circle of the same marks appeared on the wall when I stepped back outside to look around. What was happening?

_White,__I__am__getting__some__information__out__of__nowhere.__I-I__think__you__should__press__your__hand__on__the__circle.__And__for__some__reason__nobody__seems__to__be__taking__any__notice__of__this._ I turned my head and indeed, nobody was staring or even glancing toward me or the white circle. And if Mother said I should do something, I guess I should do it. I pressed my left arm on the circle and was quite startled when I went straight through it. I landed hard on my face, and I sat up cross-legged, rubbing my nose. I was in a narrow stone tunnel, torches along the walls but not completely banishing the darkness of the place. To my right instead of a regular torch the fire of this one was green. The strange circle was carved underneath it, no longer glowing. _This__place__is__called__the__Tunnels__of__the__Myth.__The__torch__and__the__mark__must__show__where__the__Entrance__Point__is.__Apparently__there__are__Entrance__Points__leading__to__different__places__and__are__scattered__along__all__the__tunnels.__On__the__Other__Side,__the__normal__world,__the__Entrance__Points__are__in__many__different__places,__and__only__a__Guardian__can__access__them.__Also,__when__one__is__resonating__with__the__Guardian,__the__people__around__them__can__'__t__see__them__and__will__get__an__impulse__to__avoid__the__area__where__the__Guardian__is__standing,_ Mother explained. I wasn't even going to ask how she knew this stuff.

"So now what should I do?" I asked Mother. Than up ahead I could barely see a large carving. I ran to it, and observed it. It looked like a map of the Tunnels. There were ton of lines and there was glowing dark green stone at one spot. There were many smaller, glowing, light green gems scattered among the lines. "It looks like the dark green one is me, and the smaller ones are the Entrance Points. What do you think, Mother?" I chatted. If I didn't hear myself speak I was afraid I would lose myself in this place.

_I__think__you__are__right.__Wait,__White!__Look,__there__is__another__dark__green__one._ As Mother said another dark green one had appeared, and it was moving rapidly to where I was.

"If only Guardians can access this place, then that means…It's the other Guardian!" I exclaimed. My voice echoed down both sides of the tunnel, and the other spot on the map stopped.

"W-who's there," a voice cried out. I couldn't see him, but I could hear him perfectly fine.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," I answered, "My name is White Blank." I heard slow footsteps, and a boy that looked about 8 came into view. He had brown hair, red eyes, and even different shades of red clothing. His forearms had the curly markings, only they glowed red. His eyes widened when he saw my forearms, and I realized the markings still remained, and had spread to both of my arms, just like the boy.

"Y-you're like me!" he squeaked.

"Yes, I am. Allow me to explain, but first please tell me your name," I said calmly.

"Rudy Primrose. What are these markings? When they first showed up while I was in the street, some people tried to attack me. On a building this red circle appeared, but nobody noticed. The men were about to attack me and I pressed on the circle and I ended up here, but I didn't stop running because I was too afraid." Rudy babbled, speaking so fast I could barely understand him.

_Quite the frisky one, isn't he?_

"_Yes,__yes__he__is,_" I thought back to Mother, "Hey, slow down. First, you and I are what are called Guardians. We have special powers that cannot be full understand. I am the White Guardian and you must be the Red Guardian, and there are other Guardians, and some of their powers have probably not awakened. There are people who wish us harm, but I do not know why are who they are. These markings seem to appear when we are near an Entrance Point, and that is what that circle is called, and when we are in here. This place is called the Tunnels of Myth. Though, I wasn't expecting you to be so young," I explained, as I talked, Rudy seemed to calm down a bit, only to raise his eye in confusion.

"I'M FOURTEEN! And what are these powers like?" he questioned. He certainly didn't look his age.

"Like I said, they are not fully understood and probably never will, but I think the Guardians color decides the power. I think my power relates to wind, but I don't know everything I can do. We will have to wait and see what you can do."

"Wait a minute, _we_?" he accused.

"One of my missions is to find the other Guardians and bring them with my travels."

_I never said they had to travel with you._

"_But__I__supposed__they__would__have__to,__in__order__for__us__to__protect__each__other.__And__it__seems__best__to__band__together__for__safety__in__numbers._" I thought retorted.

_You__have__a__good__point_.

"For us Guardians to learn more about our powers and fight these mysterious enemies, it is best we stick together, unless you have other plans." I said.

"Actually, I've got a family, and I ain't abandoning them!" Rudy growled his fear now replaced by anger.

_Watch your words carefully, little one_

"It is your choice, but if you stay with them your family will be in great danger. Remember the men who attacked you earlier? They will do anything possible to hurt you."

"R-really, you aren't lying?"

"I swear on my mothers' brooch."

_Even though I don't have one_

_I know mother, but I needed to swear on something._

_It is okay, just say on my truest word next time_

_Fine_

"I'll come with you then. But can I at least say goodbye to them?"

"Sure."

"Do you have a Den-Den Mushi?"

"A Den-Den what?"

"You don't know what a Den-Den Mushi is?"

"This is actually my first time off of my island."

"Oh, so, like, can we get out of here?" he asked. I nodded and, taking his hand in mine, I led him to the Entrance Point I had used to get in here, but paused before passing. Ignoring the warm sensation caused by my markings due to the resonance with the Entrance Point, I shared my thought with Rudy.

"We have no idea what's on the other side. So how can we know if those men that want to kill us are on the other side? And will people still not notice us?"

"Guess we'll have to chance it." Rudy said with a shrug. So with that I pressed my palm on the circle and we passed through the Entrance Point. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side. Once we had passed, nobody took notice and Rudy led the way to his house, only to find our path blocked by men dressed in pinstripe suits and readying rifles.

_This doesn't seem it will turn out very well._

_No, it does not Mother._

"What do we do!" cried Rudy, who was trying to hide behind me.

"Um, one, we can run, two, we can fight. Your choice," I suggested.

"Aren't we surrounded?"

"I thought…" I trailed off since I glanced behind and indeed, we were surrounded by the pinstripe men, "Then let's fight. I mean, I'll fight." Rasising one arm, the winds suddenly began to become fiercer and fiercer, until I had created a full-fledged wind storm. All the pinstripe men were lifted to the skies, before being blown to some random place across the island. I failed to notice one of their numbers hidden in an alley, and raised a pistol at me.

"White!" shrieked Rudy and he threw himself in front of me.

"Rudy, don't!" I warned, but I had not needed to as the man was enveloped by fire. He stared at his palms in amazement, stunned by his newly awakened ability.

"So, are we going to say goodbye to your family or what?"

"Nah, I can just write them. They'll be sad I left, but it will put them in danger if I went home to say goodbye."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After that scenario, we decided on our next course of action - I mean, _I_ decided on our next course of action.

"So what do you think we should do next?" I asked.

"I don't know," Rudy replied.

"How about we find a ship?" I questioned.

"Whatever you want," Rudy responded.

"What island should we go to?" I said.

"It's your choice," he answered. I sighed. Was everybody in the outside world like this? If so, I may have to rethink about my decision of leaving my island.

"I suppose we have to find a ship, first, if we are going to continue on our travels," I decided, "Along with supplies and a map."

"Sure, there's a guy at the dock I know who can probably give us something that will at least get us to the next island. And I know the shopkeepers well, too, since I deliver the neighbors' and my family's crops."

"Great! Then let's go!" I said, "But we'll have to stay under the radar so you're family or the men don't see us." While Rudy once again led me around the unfamiliar streets, I looked around and took the time to actually take in all the things around me. I had not done this earlier, I realized, due to having to find a job and learning about the Tunnels of Myth. One stand was selling hand-crafted jewelry, and another was selling these weird snail things. "Hey Rudy, what are those?" I asked him, pointing to the snail things.

"Oh, those are the Den-Den Mushi I mentioned back in the Tunnels. They're snail phones, you speak into them and you can converse long distance with people," he explained.

"Cool," I added. I nearly crashed into him since I hadn't been focusing when he stopped to talk to an old lady running one of the food stalls.

"Morning Rudy," the lady greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning Mary! Listen, I'm about to tell you something that you can't tell anyone else, okay?" said Rudy.

"My lips are sealed," Mary promised.

"All right, I and my friend here are what are called Guardians. We're being hunted by these men in suits so we have to leave the island,"

"And you're going to need supplies," assumed Mary.

"Yep, so…" Rudy looked at Mary with a pleading look.

"All right, all right," she grunted. She went to the back, opened a door, and she looked around inside, blocking my view. I caught a glimpse of a rifle, and suddenly I panicked, because it was the same kind the men had been using. Why would one of those rifles be inside her shop? Wait that could only mean she was helping them! Nervously I looked away as she came back to the front with a bulging sack, which she handed to Rudy. "Here you go boys, and have a safe trip! Now shoo!" Rudy started to say thank you, but there was no way I was staying there any longer. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and ran off in a random direction.

"Hey, what are you doing, White? Let go already!" demanded Rudy. Doing so, he stood up and hit me on the head. It didn't hurt, but I pouted at him anyway.

"I saw one of the guns the pinstripe men used in her backroom," I informed him smugly. When I saw his reaction, I regretted my tone.

"So, does that mean she's working for them?" Rudy asked.

"Probably, and it makes sense, since it seems Mary knows a lot about you,"

"If she is working for them, then she might've poisoned the food," he groaned. I simply shrugged, and I gestured for him to hand me the sack. I opened it, and I pulled out a round red fruit. I could use my Whispering to check if it was poisoned. But I didn't sense anything lethal inside it.

"Look, there's a note!" exclaimed Rudy. I turned the fruit around in my hand and indeed, there was a small square of folded paper taped to the bottom. Rudy tugged it off and took a moment to unfold it, as it had been folded quite a number of times.

"What does it say?" I nagged him repeatedly.

"Can't you wait a bit?" he snapped, "You're, what, a year older than me and yet you're more childish!"

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized. How could he be shy yet easy to anger at the same time?

"Well, it says, 'Dear Rudy, I have been forced to obey the commands of a mysterious group called the Shadows. They have told me you have a dangerous power and a threat, but I would not believe them. I knew from this news you would have to leave the island. That is why I wrote this letter in advance. Please stay safe'," he read out loud. There were a bunch of squiggles on the back that I couldn't make heads or tails of.

"Hey Rudy, look on the back," I pointed out. He flipped the paper over and examined the squiggles.

"It's a map of the East blue. Wow, I can't believe Mary thought this far ahead," Rudy breathed.

"That's quite convenient, and now we just have to get a boat," I said.

"All right, let's see…The docks should be that way," before I knew it, I found _myself_ being the one dragged along as he raced off to our right, holding onto my wrist. Man he was fast, I was having trouble keeping up. In fact, I was so focused on not tripping, I crashed into his back when he stopped and we both tumbled forward. We were stopped as I crashed into the legs of somebody, yet the stranger didn't budge an inch. She turned around and watched me as I stood up and helped Rudy onto his feet.

"What are you boys up to in order to be in such a rush?" the woman asked. She had long, dark brown hair, green eyes, and was tall with muscles, not too big but enough to tell that you didn't want to be caught off guard in a fight with her. For a moment her eyes seemed to fill with sadness when she looked at me.

"Officer C-Cassandra! We're terribly sorry, please forgive our clumsiness!" Rudy apologized.

"Relax, and call me Casey," she insisted. For a second her voice sounded like she was trying to prevent herself from choking up, but only a second.

"Sorry, Cassandra, I mean Casey. It's just that my friend here is about to leave the island to travel the world, and he told me he's never left his home land before now, so I'm traveling with him," Rudy explained. He didn't talk about the men who tried to kill us, and I wondered why not.

"Oh, I see. Where's your boat?" Casey questioned.

"You see, that's our current problem. Rudy said he knew somebody who could probably lend us something, but I'm not completely sure about this guy," I answered. Rudy looked at me with an offended expression.

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" he accused.

"That's not what I meant, just that-," I started.

"Then what do you mean?" Rudy demanded.

"Boys, boys, stop fighting! Why don't you guys board my ship to the next island?" Casey interrupted.

"Really, are you sure?" Rudy squeaked.

"Sure as I'll ever be. Don't worry, I'm about to leave for the next island, and us Marines _are_ supposed to be helpful. The men could use some entertainment, that's for sure. And what if you two run into some pirates? If you two got hurt it wouldn't be good for my conscious," she assured.

"Y-you are so kind, thank you Casey," Rudy said.

"As I said, we're leaving soon, so you get your butts on the ship!" she commanded, and we scrambled up the board leading to the deck of the Marine ship. Cassandra followed after us much more gracefully, and she barked out orders which her crew hurried to carry out. We just stood there, feeling quite awkward while they scurried about, until a kind yet very, and I mean _very intimidating_ woman with badly cut black hair similar to a boys walked up to us. She could easily be mistaken for a male, as her chest was quite flat, too. Actually, I wasn't sure if she/he _was _a woman. I took a good but quick look at her/his face. One eye was green, the other blue, but her/his skin was flawless, save for a ragged scar that marred the forehead.

"How'd the mission go?" she/he asked Casey.

"Fine, as always. Can you keep a close eye on these two, Bret? They're going to be on this ship until we get to the next island,"

"'Kaaay," Bret replied casually, "I'm Bret, part o' Cassandra' fleet, nice to meetya'."

"It's n-nice to meet you, too. I'm Rudy Primrose, and this is my friend White Blank," Rudy stammered. They shook hands, and I looked at Rudy. He simply gestured with his eyes for me to do the same. Despite the heat, Bret' hand was extremely cold, and I almost pulled my hand back. When we dropped hands, Casey went off somewhere on the ship, and we were off.

"Ya' know, it's quite rare for a Navy Officer to just give somebody a ride on their ship, 'especially Cassandra," Bret informed us.

"Why?" I asked.

"Cassandra doesn't have a pleasant past, and she won't trust any stranger, especially if they're a boy. It took 'bout a year for her to even begin to trust her own fleet! I was the only person she would confide in, since ya' can't tell my gender. She must see something in ya' two if she was so kind ta ya'," Bret said.

"So, do you know why she joined the Marines in the first place?" I asked.

"Actually, that's one o' the few things I _don't_ know," she responded, "Now, ya' best get below deck, since anything could happen out on these seas, anytime." We were led down a staircase until we reached a room filled with hammocks. "Since a situation like yours is rare for us, we don't have guest rooms or anything like that, so ya'll just hav'ta sleep with the men, I suppose."

"It's alright, we're thankful enough for you guys giving us a ride," I said. Bret brightened up at my reply.

"Well, it's getting late now, so ya' better get some shuteye while you can, since this ship's very noisy in the morning," she/he advised. Once I was sure she was gone and out of hearing range, I hurriedly pulled Rudy inside the room and closed the door behind us. Before he could ask what was going on, I spoke up first.

"Rudy, I think this is a little suspicious. There just happens to be Marine ship when we are about to leave, the captain offers us a ride, and for some reason that Bret' hand was ice-cold," I told him, barely keeping myself from rushing my words.

"Jeez, White, why are you so wary of everything? It's starting to get annoying, no offense, wait, I'm terribly sorry, White!" Rudy whimpered.

"Its okay, Rudy, but maybe your right, maybe I should be less cautious. Just in case, how about we just keep our guard up?" I suggested.

"Fine then," he finally relented, "Now which ones aren't already taken?"

\

"Probably whichever ones are actually clean," I supposed. Most of them were either covered in dirt, small bloodstains, or blankets. Only two, one above each other, in the far left corner were actually tidy. It was a perfect spot to prevent someone from escaping or to ambush them. All we had was the sack of fruit so we just dumped it under the bottom one, which I took while I had to help Rudy onto the top one. He really had to drink more milk if he wanted to get taller.

Once we had settled down, several men had begun filing in, seemingly they had already been informed about our presence on the ship by the way they weren't that surprised upon seeing us in the hammocks. The men went on with their business, some going to the showers, others just going straight to sleep without second though, and a few making use of the fading sunlight streaming through the windows to read or something like that. Rudy fell asleep at record time, and eventually I, too, closed my eyes and dozed off. Remember when I said my dreams were never usually very normal? Well, now the strangeness came.

My dream showed the cabin me and Rudy were in, from a birds-eye view. While we slept peacefully, silently the other men got up and neared our hammocks. 3 or four of them were carrying ropes which I had no idea they got. One young man with brown hair grabbed my wrists, thus waking me, but I couldn't struggle as they tied up my wrists and ankles. The process also woke up Rudy, who screamed, kicked the head of the brown-haired men, and passed out all in 5 seconds. He was tied up along with me, and both of us were dragged out of the room, to what horrible fate awaited us. That is, unless I did something to prevent that fate. My eyes slowly opened, and I glanced around the room. The moon could be seen through the window, and other signs told me I had slept for a few hours. None of the men had gotten up, so I still had some time to get off the ship with Rudy.

Carefully, I stepped onto the wooden floor, cringing when the boards squeaked, but none of the men stirred. Did that mean they were asleep or were they only pretending, waiting for the right moment? First, I roused Rudy, but I had to clamp my hand over his mouth like the Marines in the dream because he was quite surprised.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"My dreams are usually very odd, and I had a vision that the Marines were going to tie us up. Come on, we have to go, and no, I'm not lying," I added when he gave me an accusing look.

"Okay, I believe you," he sighed, and with my help stepped down soundlessly. I looked around for our bag, but found the bag completely empty of its contents. Those greedy pigs! Leaving the sack on my hammock, we started toward the door but were interrupted by a knock from the window.

Abruptly I turned around to find Bret waving from behind the glass. Wait, how can she be looking out the window? It's on the side of the ship and higher than boats can reach so…Slowly I made my way to the glass, and up close I could see that she had buried her nails into the wood, keeping her in the side of the ship. How did I miss the length of her nails? Bret gestured for me to open the window, which for some reason I did not have at the moment, I opened.

"Don't be alarmed. I'm trying to help you guys, partly because I want to, and partly because Cassandra ordered me to do this. She _really_ has a soft spot for you two," she/he told us softly, "Now come on, we got to leave. Casey will make sure we get a head start. I'll tell you more once we're a safe distance away from here."

"You want us to jump out a window?" Rudy squeaked from beside me, but shut his mouth quickly. He backed away, but before he could get far, Bret reached through the window and hauled him overboard. I just jumped over willingly, and not a moment too soon, as I could hear some of the men getting to their feet. Clinging on to the window frame, I impulsively waved, quite annoying them, and leapt onto the deck of the small boat.

"So much for a stealthy escape," our rescuer grumbled.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Oh yeah, Casey wanted me to give you this,' she said and looked through one of the three sacks in the boat. Bret took out a necklace made out of a thin silver chain and a photo made into a pendant. Also, she handed me and Rudy a paddle, so I absentmindedly started to row while I stared at the picture. It showed a younger Cassandra with an arm around a lady with long, silver hair and blue eyes. In the silver-haired ladies arms she clutched a white-haired baby. That baby was me.

I stumbled back, and sat down on one of the benches built into the boat. Rudy eyed me worryingly, while Bret gave me a questioning gaze. From the Navy ship, I could hear Cassandra shouting for her men to get back to their beds, and I turned around to see her in the distance. Even this far away, I could still sense the sadness on her face. I kept staring, until Bret hit me with her paddle from behind since I had stopped rowing.

"What are ya' spacing out for? Get rowing already!" she/he complained and I rushed to fulfill the requested bidding while Rudy speeded up with his rowing. I was pretty glad neither of them asked to see what had startled me. But what did the photo mean?


End file.
